The Cohen Report: Speaking Hawkish, Feeling Dovish

...It is interesting to note that despite the extraordinary sense of connection to and involvement with Israel, most American Jews do not regard themselves as Zionists: Asked, "Do you consider yourself a Zionist...

...Both these findings are at odds with the conventional wisdom...

...It may be that very many American Jews agree with those Zionists who assert that the only real Zionist makes his home in Israel...

...It is immediately apparent from the information summarized in Table 3 that the leaders' assessment of the friendliness of various American groups towards Israel is far higher than the public's...

...It's not so very different from the matter of ethnic jokes: We (as almost all other groups) permit ourselves to tell certain jokes to one another that we would regard as blatantly anti-Semitic if they were told by outsiders...

...But they are, at the same time, quite uncertain of the depth and durability of the American commitment to Israel, and that leads to strain...

...Republicans (14 compared to 42...

...They favor territorial compromise by a margin of better than four to one, they reject the notion of permanent Israeli control of the West Bank by nearly three to one, they favor a suspension of settlement activity by better than two to one...

...42 34 23 74 16 10 "Israel should suspend the expansion of settlements in...

...It may be that the community, both public and leaders, was more dovish still in the pre-Begin period, and the change in a hawkish direction has captured more attention than it merits...

...We contribute financially to Israel (almost half the public, 97 percent of the leaders), we contribute to political candidates because of their support for Israel (30 percent of the public, 76 percent of the leaders) and we write to elected officials on Israel's behalf (20 percent of the public, 70 percent of the leaders...

...Cohen suggests that the difference between public and leaders here derives from the fact that leaders take their organizations more seriously than the public does...

...For all the talk of the collapse of the traditional alliance, Democrats and liberals and labor unions score high, especially among the Jewish public...

...The Cohen Report, for all the uncertainties it describes, depicts a community, sure of its purpose and able to make critical distinctions, a community quite different from the caricature of mindlessness that has so often been reported...

...The conventional wisdom is wrong in describing the attitudes of the Jewish public, and wronger still in describing leadership attitudes...

...42% 29% 30% 21% 59% 201 "Israel should offer the Arabs territorial compromise in...

...the West Bank...

...Cohen reports on two different groups: First, we have 640 Jewish respondents drawn from a random sample of Jews across the country...

...We do know from other reports that when American Jewish leaders try to persuade their publics that anti-Semitism is a relatively contained problem in this country, they encounter vehement opposition...

...Today) deals with American Jewish attitudes towards Israeli policies...

...We might think that the leaders are more sophisticated, the public more visceral—or we might suspect that the leaders are more insulated, the public more realistic...

...Specifically, the Begin government has repeatedly refused to halt its settlement activity and has vehemently objected to plans calling for territorial compromise, and there is obviously considerable difference of opinion on the question of the Begin government's readiness to endorse any kind of Palestinian homeland...

...Indeed, if we average the scores, we find that the public's average rating is 11, while the leaders' average rating is 24—more than twice as high...

...The Cohen Report may, therefore, prove to be one of those rare social science studies that has an immediate impact on behavior...

...Or it may be that the hawks are, on the whole, noisier than the doves...

...We are, plainly, an Israel-oriented community...

...50 24 26 81 10 9 "The policies of Menachem Begin and his government have damaged Israel...

...The phrasing of the question is critical on such sensitive matters, and Cohen in one study could not have tested all the different ways in which the issue of public criticism is perceived and understood...

...43 percent of the public and 63 percent of the leaders identify themselves as "very pro-Israel," and another 43 percent of the public and 35 percent of the leaders say they are "pro-Israel"— for totals of 86 and 98...

...Or perhaps they fear that an organization that climbs out on a critical limb will lose the support of its constituents...

...These positions are not those generally associated with the Begin government...

...There is little surprise in these statistics, although the levels of involvement may be rather higher than one might have thought, and here and there the differences between public and leaders are quite striking...

...This is best illustrated in Table 4. For some time now, it has been part of the conventional wisdom on these matters that American Jewry endorses the hawkish policies pursued by the Begin government...

...Others have reported this discrepancy before, though there has been and continues to be serious disagreement regarding its meaning...

...Now and then, Jewish organizations sponsor surveys specifically designed to learn something of their own constituents, but most often these are intended to gather basic demographic figures rather than information about opinions...

...THE COHEN REPORT: SPEAKING REPORT: SPEAKING HAWKISH, FEELING DOVISH A new study shows that American Jews love Israel— but not its current policies Despite the very widespread and frequent use of public opinion polls in the United States, relatively little data are available regarding the beliefs and opinions of American Jews...

...Or is it...

...There is no evidence in the report to support the idea that such criticism causes American Jews to distance themselves from Israel, or that it would lead them to passivity were Israel's security to be threatened by a shift in American policy...

...they differ as well in income, with the public reporting a median annual income of $37,000 while the leaders' median annual income is estimated at [gulp!] $135,000...

...The leaders, in short, hesitate to lead...

...The general impression one gets from the data is of a group that is powerfully committed to Israel and its welfare, that thinks the present Israeli government an uncertain custodian of that welfare, that is prepared to say what it thinks—but that is quite apprehensive about the reactions of Americans in general...

...So far as the public is concerned, then, Cohen finds that 25 percent of us are staunch doves, 20 percent are flaccid doves, another 25 percent of us are ambivalent or inconsistent in our view, 13 percent of us are flaccid hawks and 17 percent of us are avid hawks...

...Is there any connection between the Israel we love and the anti-Semitism we fear...

...And we may presume that the considerable publicity that attended the release of this report will encourage its sponsors to conduct similar studies at relatively frequent intervals, for there is obvious interest in knowing how opinions and perceptions on these and related matters are affected by events and how they change over time...

...Seventy percent of the public and 85 percent of the leaders disagree...

...See Table 2.] About half the Jewish public, and slightly fewer of the Jewish leaders, regard American support for Israel as undependable...

...Second, we have 272 Jewish "leaders," with "leader" being defined as a member of the board of any of five national Jewish organizations—the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the United Jewish Appeal and B'nai B'rith...

...Leaders see liberals and Republicans nearly tied— and both way ahead of conservatives...

...finally, we see that most Jews feel some apprehension regarding American attitudes towards both the Jews and Israel...

...and, startlingly, evangelical Protestants (three compared to 63...

...While most American Jews endorse the propriety of public criticism of Israel, it is quite possible that most would also have agreed that such criticism gives "aid and comfort" to Israel's enemies...

...support for Israel is in America's interest...

...47% 60% "When it comes to the crunch few non-Jews will come to Israel's side in its struggle to survive...

...So we now have three separate pieces of data which, when taken together, suggest that American Jews—or, more accurately, large numbers of American Jews—may feel considerable strain arising out of their commitment to Israel...

...The media, especially in the wake of Israel's invasion of Lebanon, are viewed with great suspicion, and if there's a surprise here it is that they do not score lower...

...It helps inform professionals of the Jewish community where the perceived trouble spots are, and who the likeliest allies are perceived to be...

...As to the leadership sample, it represents about half of all board members of the five organizations, and is most likely also accurate within a five percent range...

...President Reagan (16 compared to 55...

...By and large, they are not as apprehensive as is the Jewish public, not about anti-Semitism in America, present or future, and not about the solidity of the American commitment to Israel...

...The (fact is that most American Jews think at least some aspects of Israeli policy are misguided...

...We have Israel on our minds, and in our hearts, and even in our blood, and some of us have it—potentially, at least—in our legs...

...Perhaps they imagine that what an organization says is more likely to be used by Israel's enemies than what an individual says...

...22 50 27 43 36 21 Cohen, in one of his most valuable contributions, breaks the responses down into refined categories, in order to learn whether there is any relationship between defense of Prime Minister Begin's policies and perceptions of hostility to Israel in this country...

...The Cohen study falls well within the limits of conventional survey research...

...These days, with the Middle East a global issue, no longer a private concern of the Jews, it is essentially impossible to keep our critical observations to ourselves...

...Cohen goes on to develop a composite portrait of American Jewish attitudes towards Israeli policies, and he estimates that about 45 percent of us are doves while about 30 percent of us are hawks...

...But all these attitudes, it should be remembered, occur within a context—specifically, in an environment which the Jews view skeptically...

...The real surprises of the Cohen Report are in Cohen's findings regarding Jewish perceptions of America and Jewish assessments of Israeli policy...

...Yet one would not have expected that Jewish leaders would be more critical of corporations than the Jewish public is...

...percent who are "for" Israel...

...All this gives rise to an obvious question: If Jewish leaders are so markedly dovish, and if the Jewish public, while less dovish, still leans in a dovish direction, how is it that the Jewish community is perceived as hawkish...

...Very few of us accept that outsiders are entitled to employ such standards...

...48% 29% 23% 70% 21% 9% "The policies of Prime Minister Begin and his government have hurt Israel in the U.S...

...On the contrary: The Cohen Report, for all the uncertainties it describes, depicts a mature community, sure of its purpose and able to make critical distinctions, a community quite different from the caricature of mindlessness that has so often been reported...

...Cohen, in his own text, seems to believe that the differences point to the greater sophistication of the leaders...

...American Jews should not criticize the government of Israel's policy publicly...

...27 percent of the public and 25 percent of the leaders were unsure...

...that seems to be the implication of their acceptance of the statement that "virtually all positions of influence in America are open to Jews...

...This difference is highlighted in Table 3, where we see How respondents in both groups assess specific American groups...

...28 42 31 47 33 20 "Continued Israeli occupation of the West Bank will erode Israel's Jewish character...

...The Cohen Report in itself should, if read carefully in appropriate circles, go a long way towards reducing the strain...

...But it is plain from the data in this table that the conventional wisdom is wrong...

...What we do know, quite decisively, is that if, as seems likely, they do experience conflict and anxiety, these are not sufficiently disabling to cause them to abandon their commitment...

...American Jews evidently believe that it may separate them from other Americans—and they nonetheless persist in giving it expression...

...The most visible group of Jews, the group to which the media most often turn for expression of "the Jewish view," the group on whom the public most depends for its cues, is also the most inhibited...

...They have, he says, "greater access to public officials" and "greater command of specialized information...

...The first and perhaps most predictable finding of the Cohen Report is that American Jews feel a profound attachment to the State of Israel...

...In general, the "public" sample proves quite similar in its composition to the Jewish community at large, and Cohen estimates that the findings from that sample are accurate within a plus-or-minus five percent range...

...Once again, we are prompted to wonder why there's such a difference between die general perception and the actual facts, as depicted in the Cohen Report...

...Agreement with the statement, "Caring about Israel is a very important part of my being a Jew," runs to 78 percent among the Jewish public and to 90 percent among Jewish leaders...

...61 percent of the public and 78 percent of the leaders disagreed...

...38 percent of the public and 32 percent of the leaders disagreed...

...To most lay people, that sounds like far too small a number to permit conclusions about the opinions of millions of people—in this case, of all American Jews...

...No doubt some among the public would argue that the leaders have a greater vested interest in taking pro-Israel rhetoric at face-value, would insist that their own greater skepticism is the more sophisticated perception...

...Congressmen who read the Cohen Report may feel frustrated...

...the surprise there is that the public is relatively neutral in its assessment...

...70 17 13 73 17 11 "Palestinians have a right to a homeland on the West Bank and Gaza, so long as it does not threaten Israel...

...A good part of the answer may rest with the leaders...

...But the Jewish public, apparently, still clings to the traditional alliance...

...Still, it is not easy to insist on the distinction...

...The unity speaks to the heart of the Jewish commitment...

...37 64 "Virtually all positions of influence in America are open to Jews...

...In mid-September, the findings of a major new study sponsored by the Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations of the American Jewish Committee and conducted by Professor Steven M. Cohen were released...

...So we are a community with powerful ties to Israel, and we continue to fear anti-Semitism, even in America...

...It does, however, provide hard evidence of the Jewish capacity for differentiating among groups within the American public...

...it will be read by American Jewish leaders, who may want to ponder whether it is healthy to stifle their private views to the degree they do, whether such behavior is fair to the Israelis or to their own constituents, neither of whom—until now— have had reason to suppose that the leaders are so critical of Israel's policies...

...And here we have a bit of statistical confirmation, for nearly two-thirds of the leaders dismiss anti-Semitism as a currently serious problem, while only a bit over a third of the public joins them in that view...

...For it makes crystal-clear that criticism of Israeli policy by American Jews takes place within a context of continuing and profound commitment to Israel's welfare...

...It is wrong in describing the attitudes of the Jewish public, and it is wronger still in describing leadership attitudes...

...It will surely be read with great interest in Israel, whose leaders have (since long before Menachem Begin) been inclined to hear what they have wanted to hear, to interpret support for the State as support for the government...

...and—remember the median income of the leaders, and the network of associations they may be presumed to have—twice as many of the leaders think corporations unfriendly...

...finally, it should be read by American Jews, by the Jewish public, which may well take heart from both the unity and the divisions it reports...

...The statement, "Those who stop giving to UJA because they oppose Israeli government policies are right to do so," elicited agreement from only 20 percent of the public and 10 percent of the leaders...

...The extraordinary discrepancy in assessment of evangelical Protestants may, as Cohen says, result from the fact that Jews, not "especially attentive to intergroup Table 1 Public Leaders "Anti-Semitism in America may, in the future, become a serious problem for American Jews...

...For now that the secret is out of the bag, now that all those closet doves out there know that most other American Jews share their views, that they are not part of a fringe minority, perhaps they will be more inclined to speak their piece...

...Or—and this seems to us to explain a good part of it—it may be that dovish leaders have tended to keep their views to themselves, for fear of seeming to be out of step with Israeli policy, or, for that matter, with their own community...

...They created a stir among those who attended the press conference where they were announced, and the stir continues, for the Cohen study deals with some of the most sensitive and controversial issues that Jews confront...

...By and large, American Jews are uncertain of the depth and durability of the American commitment to Israel, and that leads to strain...

...See Table 1.] In Table 1, note first the fact that a far higher proportion of leaders thinks that anti-Semitism is today not a serious problem for American Jews...

...54 41 "I am worried the U.S...

...More of the leaders think the news media unfriendly...

...Personally, they are substantially more dovish than the public...

...we cannot be sure that their purpose is, as ours, constructive...

...And they are split down the middle regarding the propriety of criticism when it comes from organizations...

...And often, they are methodologically problematic, since it is exceedingly difficult to draw a reliable random sample of Jews...

...But they may welt view themselves as unable to speak as individuals, given their organizational roles...

...the West Bank and Gaza in return for credible guarantees of peace...

...Yet refined sampling techniques enable social scientists to do exactly that, and to know quite precisely how likely it is that their results are "off...

...Blacks, lamentably, have lately been added to the list of perceived enemies, reflecting the serious fractures of an old and productive alliance...

...Again, the public feels less secure than the leaders, perhaps because so large a proportion of the leaders (44 percent) is evidently insulated from the personal experience of anti-Semitism...

...Knowing that they themselves are not prepared to consider moving to Israel (recall that only 17 percent of each group has ever seriously considered such a possibility), they do not feel the term appropriately describes them...

...50 22 28 68 15 18 "Israeli leaders have sometimes been unnecessarily tactless in their dealings with American officials...

...In short, very many American Jews are troubled by (at least some aspects of) Israel's policies, and most American Jews regard public expression of such criticism as acceptable...

...Indeed, a substantial plurality of the leaders believes that "continued Israeli occupation of the West Bank will erode Israel's democratic and humanitarian character" (47 percent, compared to 28 percent of the public), and a comparable plurality believes that "continued Israeli occupation of the West Bank will erode Israel's Jewish character" (43 percent, as against 22 percent of the public...

...35 38 27 43 32 25 "Israel's commitment to democratic values has eroded in recent years...

...That stems from our confidence that within the family, we know where to draw the line...

...Well, the consolation is that while the public ranks Congress "only" third most friendly in a list of IS groups, the leaders rank it tied for first...

...Let us look first at responses to a series of questions that deal with Jewish perceptions of America...

...In that connection, we should bear in mind that the public and the leaders differ not only in their formal responsibilities in Jewish life, which in itself helps account for the differences between the two with regard, say, to visiting Israel or charitable contributions...

...Leaders and public alike agree that criticism of Israeli policy does not mean, and should not, any diminution of support for Israel itself...

...Again, one may make of this what one will...

...Cohen did ask two questions that suggest once again the kind of stress Jews experience in connection with these matters...

...A majority of respondents—52 percent of the public, 50 percent of the leaders—agreed...

...In both groups, there is slightly greater apprehension regarding future anti-Semitism...

...So there is a tension here...

...And, as might have been supposed, the respondents who were most likely to see American groups as unfriendly to Israel were also more likely to endorse hawkish points of view with regard to Israeli policy...

...Sixty percent of the public agree, while 27 percent disagree...

...These data are summarized in Table 5. Table 4 Public Leaders Not * Not Yes No sure Yes No sure "Israel should maintain permanent control over...the West Bank...

...The Jewish public is rather more dovish than is commonly supposed...

...42 percent of the leaders agree, while 37 percent disagree...

...Respondents were asked whether "there are times when my devotion to Israel comes into conflict with my devotion to America...

...27 44 Table 2 Public Leaders "Most Americans think that U.S...

...Fifty-seven percent of both the public and the leaders disagree...

...69% 55% "Anti-Semitism in America is currently not a serious problem for American Jews...

...A substantial minority—37 percent of the public, 39 percent of the leaders—did not...

...They also give President Reagan a far higher rating than the public does...

...This statement, which deals with only one source of anxiety, elicits agreement from 24 percent of the public and 17 percent of the leaders...

...Inside the family, we allow ourselves a freedom to be critical that we do not allow others...

...So far as the public is concerned, a plurality endorses permanent Israeli control over the West Bank—but a plurality of the same size endorses territorial compromise, a majority endorses suspension of settlements in the West Bank, a large majority favors talking with the PLO under specified conditions and a plurality endorses the right of the Palestinians to a homeland...

...51 28 21 55 25 20 "Israel should talk with the PLO if the PLO recognizes Israel and renounces terrorism...

...After all we've done for Israel," they may say, "look at how the Jewish public sees us...

...That aside, we have little information on the conflicts or anxieties Jews feel in connection with their commitment to Israel...

...On the contrary—we may say that there is in these answers considerable proof of the seriousness of the American Jewish commitment to Israel...

...55 48 Table 3 Are each of these "American groups . . generally friendly, mixed or neutral, or generally unfriendly to Israel...

...This once again attests to the greater confidence of leaders, of their generally more positive assessment of America...

...only 50 percent of the leaders and 39 percent of the public answer in the affirmative...

...Quite plainly, American Jews understand the difference between policy and place, between the ephemeral government and the eternal nation...

...Is there any connection between the Israel we love and the anti-Semitism we fear...

...For despite all the debates and symposia, all the learned disquisitions and the public vituperations, it turns out that a resounding majority of American Jews believes that it's quite all right for the critics to speak their piece...

...to encourage peace negotiations...

...The methodology is sophisticated, the results reliable—and the findings fascinating...

...a majority of both reflects the Jewish sense of vulnerability...

...At first blush, this looks like an interesting version of a double standard—the opposite of the usual double standard, for we are not permitting ourselves to do or say or think things we wouldn't permit others to do...

...In the case at hand, for example, we draw the line at withholding philanthropic support...

...The State Department has long been perceived as an enemy of Israel...

...Jewish leaders are more dovish still...

...To the question, "I am often troubled by the policies of the current Israeli government," 48 percent of the public said "yes"—29 percent said "no" and 23 percent were unsure—and fully 70 percent of the leaders said "yes"— with 21 percent saying "no" and nine percent unsure...

...To the direct statement, "The policies of Menachem Begin and his government have damaged Israel," 35 percent of the public and 43 percent of the leaders agreed...

...On more careful examination, however, we may have nothing more here than a very common phenomenon of family behavior...

...Given our nervousness about how Americans in general see Israel, and the case for continuing American support, this seems the more plausible explanation...

...about 25 percent are classified as hawks, with eight percent weakly committed and 17 percent strongly committed to that set of positions...

...But we are not nearly so sure that other Americans see it that way...

...We have Israel on our minds, and in our hearts (35 percent of the public and 69 percent of the leaders have personal friends in Israel), and even in our blood (over a third of both groups have family in Israel), and some of us even have it—potentially, at least—in our legs (17 percent of both groups say they have "seriously considered living in Israel...

...Most American Jews think at least some aspects of Israeli policy misguided...

...Only one question in the Cohen study deals directly with the consequent strain...

...When "strangers" are critical, we cannot be sure that they will observe the limits...

...may stop being a firm ally of Israel...

...Thirty-one percent agree...

...48 26 27 51 28 22 Tables Public Leaders Not Not Yes No sure Yes No sure "I am often troubled by the policies of the Israeli government...

...Among the doves, about half, he estimates, are strongly committed, while the other half only "lean" in their chosen direction...

...How do the critical views of Israeli policy that are so widespread amongst American Jews relate to our feelings regarding the propriety of expressing criticism in public...

...the rest are undecided...

...it should be read carefully in Washington, where policy makers have often misunderstood the ongoing debate within the Jewish community, imagining that Jewish disagreement with this or that Israeli policy marked a decline of the Jewish commitment to Israel...

...Israelis who strongly criticize some of the government's policies are bad for Israel...

...the divisions reflect the fact that the workings of the heart do not require an end to intelligent and thoughtful debate...

...And when others hear what we are saying, they are likely to feel freer to say what they're thinking...

...By and large, American Jews, knowing the depth of their shared concern for Israel, permit themselves a critical perspective...

...There are any number of possible answers...

...Table 2 hints, as well, at something we noticed back in Table 1—the relatively greater confidence in America displayed by Jewish leaders...

...24 52 24 22 64 14 "ContinuedIsraeli occupation of the West Bank will erode Israel's democratic and humanitarian character...

...somewhat more of the leaders think blacks unfriendly...

...Plainly, although the Cohen Report does not speak specifically to this matter, Jews are concerned lest their critical perceptions be regarded as an excuse by various groups in America, and by the American government, to abandon their commitment to Israel...

...First, we know how profound that commitment is...

...American Jewish organizations should feel free to publicly criticize the Israeli government and its policies...

...Debate of Middle East matters cannot take place as a kind of communal "pillow talk...

...To put it somewhat differently, all sampling techniques raise some possibility of error...

...we get only a 38 percent rating...

...So, too, about half the hawks seem militant, the balance weakly committed to their position...

...Single copies of the Cohen Report are available for $2.50 from the American Jewish Committee, 165 E. 56 St., New York, NY 10025...

...Moreover, they are almost always locally based, so at best they tell us something of the Jews of Baltimore, or Minneapolis, or Los Angeles, rather than of the Jews in general...

...The difference is especially striking with regard to Congress (the public gives Congress a 38 rating, the leaders give it 76...

...They draw a distinction, in other words, between support for Israel and Zionism...

...And corporations, we may imagine, conjure up visions of Bechtel, Aramco and so forth—no friends of Israel there...

...But if outsiders hear us telling those jokes, it's hard to blame them if they repeat what they've heard...

...The leaders, as might by now have been expected, turn out to be far more dovish: Some 60 percent qualify as doves, 35 percent decisively so and 25 percent tepidly so...

...Indeed, 93 percent of the public and 99 percent of the leaders "pay special attention to newspaper and magazine articles about Israel," 75 percent of the public and 97 percent of the leaders "often talk about Israel with friends and relatives," 40 percent of the public and 94 percent of the leaders have visited Israel at least once, and 17 percent of the public and 78 percent of the leaders have visited Israel twice or more...

...note: In this connection, readers may wish to examine the accompanying article by Alan Fisher.] Again, the Cohen Report in itself does not and cannot answer the questions it raises regarding these differences between leaders and public...

...Tied with the Democrats, who rank first in the public's perception...

...Here, 77 percent of the public and 83, percent of the leaders agree...

...For after all, it is not an "easy" or cost-free commitment...

...Many of us—a bare majority, but a majority nonetheless—accept that within the family, we are entitled to judge ourselves by tough standards...

...Friendly Index* Public Leaders Democrats 60 76 Liberals 46 44 Congress 38 76 Labor Unions 33 58 President Reagan 16 55 Republicans 14 42 The Military 12 24 Conservatives 10 27 "Mainstream" Protestants 8 10 Evangelical Protestants 3 63 News Media -3 -20 Catholics -5 9 State Department -11 -53 Corporations -15 -29 Blacks -41 -58 ¦Friendly Index = the difference between the percent who answered "generally friendly" and the percent who answered "generally unfriendly" relations," may be unaware of the "pro-Israel sympathies of many Evangelical Protestants"—or it may be simply that the public doesn't trust Jerry Falwell, knows somewhere in its bones that whatever he and "his kind" say about Israel, they truly believe that God doesn't hear the prayers of Jews...

...support for Israel is in America's interest...

...As Cohen suggests, that inhibition may derive from the seriousness with which the leaders take their organizations...

...The section of the report that has generated the most publicity (including a page 1 lead story in U.S.A...

...the Cohen study may be "wrong," but if it is, it is quite unlikely to be wrong by much...

...Given all that, it is especially interesting to see where leaders are even more critical than the public...

...very many more of the leaders think the State Department unfriendly...

...We don't see any contradiction between our interests and the larger American interest: Ninety-one percent of the public and % percent of the leaders believe that "U.S...

...That's the other element to be noted here: For all the talk of the collapse of the traditional alliance (and the Jewish assessment of black friendliness surely reflects a serious problem in that regard), Democrats and liberals and labor unions score high, especially among the public...

...One statement reads, "Jews should hold Israel to higher standards of conduct than other countries...

...This is surely one of the most controversial issues the community has wrestled with over the last several years...

...National surveys are based on samples that only rarely exceed 2,000—and that means they typically include less than 60 Jews...

...second, we know how convinced almost all Jews are of the "lightness" of that commitment, and of its consonance with American interests...

...So the most visible group of Jews, the group to which the media most often turns for expression of "the Jewish view," the group on whom the public most depends for its cues, is also the most inhibited...

...Whatever their reasons, it appears that the leaders—precisely those who regard themselves as best informed about Israel, as most sophisticated in their analysis—feel constrained in expressing their critical conclusions publicly...

...instead, we are holding ourselves to a tougher standard than we hold others to, and then saying to others that they do not have the right to hold us to the standard to which we hold ourselves...

...As Cohen puts it in his text, "Although American Jews are substantially united in their concern for Israeli security, they, like Israelis, hold diverse views about how Israel should best pursue its search for peace and security...

...Two other elements of Table 3 deserve special mention...

...At the same time, 67 percent of the public and 79 percent of the leaders disagreed with the statement, "Non-Jews should hold Israel to higher standards of conduct than other countries...

...Perhaps the most revealing statement is the one that asks whether the respondent agrees or disagrees that "if Israel were destroyed, I would feel as if I had suffered one of the greatest personal tragedies in my life...